Question: Battle Cry....?

[GyG1345]

In regard to the book, Battle Cry, by Leon Uris (later, the movie) does anyone recall specifically, what that "Battle Cry" actually was?

DickG

[GyG1345]

Here's what I am getting at--and the reason for my question, above.

For my own use on a related webpage, I have quoted from the book Battle Cry, a specific section which I have concluded (rightly or wrongly) that this must have been what the author was alluding to when he used the term, "Battle Cry." I may be incorrect, but I am not aware of any other incident in that book which would answer this question.

What do you think?

Ref
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/dickg/index.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JUST WHAT IS A BATTLE CRY?
To most Marines, the term, Battle Cry, immediately brings to mind thoughts of Leon Uris' classic book by that title, and, of course, the movie. But most Marines, if they were asked, could not tell you just what that Battle Cry was. Of course, Battle Cry (both book and movie) was about WW II Marines, and deals with a spontaneous battle cry as opposed to a taught battle cry as seems to be the case in WW I. But, by using "Battle Cry" as a model, perhaps we can gain a better insight as to what we are considering here as it provides an example not readily available otherwise.

FROM LEON URIS' BOOK, BATTLE CRY
Here is an excerpt from the book, Battle Cry, 1953, Putnam.... Page 468...

(Note: Red Beach One, Saipan--the beloved "Highpockets" Huxley, 2nd Battalion CO has been killed, casualties are high and the enemy is counterattacking, and now Captain Max Shapiro, Fox Company commander lies dying also....)

"As the stunned Marines braced for the death they knew must come, Two Gun Shapiro stepped in front of them, his two pistols smoking, He turned to his Marines and over the din they heard a gristly shriek from his lips. 'Blood!' he cried. Max Shapiro sank to his knees, his pistols empty. He threw them at the enemy, 'Blood' he screamed, 'Blood!'

The men of Huxley's *****s were petrified. A legend was broken. The invincible captain, the man bullets could not touch, the man they believed was almost divine, lay there writhing in agony the same as any human being. The blood gushed from his mouth and ears and nose and he rolled over defiantly, trying to crawl to his enemy to kill them with bare hands, the same ghastly word on his lips.

Was he human after all? Did he not realize that something must be done to elevate his men to a task beyond human capabilities? Was it his God who sent him forward to sacrifice himself? Or was Max Shapiro merely a mad dog, full of a glorious madness?

Huxley's *****s rose to the heights of their dead captain. They no longer resembled human beings. Savage beyond all savagery, murderous beyond murder, they shrieked, 'BLOOD!' 'BLOOD!' ...'BLOOD!'

The enemy," who were mere mortals, fell back."

Although fiction, the scene as depicted above serves to generally define, for purposes of this webpage, something of just what is meant by the term "Battle Cry."

[radmaw]

I read the the book and saw the movie but never gave the meaning of "Battle Cry" much thought. Part of the movie was filmed at MCRD San Diego in 1954. I was with Comm. Elect. Sch. Battalion in a class training to become radio telegraph operators. The class after me and some of my instructors we included in the movies. Interesting also, in case some of you missed it, the Navajo code talkers were portrayed in the movie. The info on the code talker was not supposedly declassified til the 60's so I often wonder how their role was included in the movie.

[GyG1345]

Tommy Cook was also in the flik as Huxley's orderly, Ziltch--Cook at that time was a Cpl in CommCo HqBn 3dMarDiv and had beenthat I knew of since fall of 1952 when I arrived at CJHP--Cook had played 'Lil Beaver in some of the old Red Ryder movies--I know, Robert Blake also did some of that.

Unknown to most Marines, Ret USMC General Ray Murray (presently of Oceanside, Calif) was the actual CO of 2dBn, 6thMarines during WW II, and was the model on which Highpockets Huxley was based in that movie.

DickG